Luge Winter Games STEM Challenge 2026 Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade

Bring the excitement of the Winter Games into your classroom with this Luge Winter Games STEM challenge for Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade.

In this hands-on luge STEM activity, students design and build a mini luge sled and racer, then test how fast it can travel down a ramp using gravity.

Perfect for January/February STEM lessons, Winter Olympics units, or primary science centers, this low-prep challenge introduces friction, speed, and the engineering design process in a fun, age-appropriate way.

What Students Do

• Learn key vocabulary like luge, friction, and speed with kid-friendly picture cards.
• Explore How Luge Works—pushing to start, lying back, sliding fast on ice, and steering with their body—using a simple visual poster.
• Engineer a luge sled using thin cardboard, popsicle sticks, straws, tape, and an athlete printable, then race it down a classroom ramp.
• Observe how design choices affect speed and motion, and talk about what might make their sled go faster or straighter.
• Read an informational text titled “What Is Luge?” and answer multiple-choice questions to build reading comprehension.
• Reflect on their learning with “What I Know About Luge” writing pages at different levels.

What’s Included

• Teacher instructions with suggested materials, ramp setup tips, and extension ideas, including a link to a science-of-luge video.
• Full-color and blackline Engineering Design Process posters and question charts (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, Improve, Share).
• A Makerspace consumables list to help you stock your STEM area with easy-to-find recyclables and craft supplies.
• Vocabulary cards, How Luge Works posters, and athlete printables to attach to student-built sleds.
• “What Is Luge?” informational passage, comprehension questions, and answer key.
• Student challenge letter that sets the scene for the Luge Winter Games and a planning page (Ask/Imagine/Plan) for young engineers.
• Differentiated “What I Know About Luge” writing templates for K–2 writers.

Why Teachers Love It

• High-interest Winter Games STEM challenge tailored to primary students.
• Uses simple, low-cost materials and is easy to run in whole-group lessons, small groups, or STEM centers.
• Integrates science, engineering, reading, writing, and global Winter Games connections in one engaging activity.
• Encourages creativity, collaboration, and perseverance as students design, test, and improve their luge sleds.